Peak
by Mister Unsmiley
Summary: As he waits on Gold to arrive, a certain trainer dwells on the victories too easily won.


One year.

One year was all it took for Red to become the strongest trainer the world has ever seen.

It almost felt like he cheated. Prodigious talent be damned, he'd done what had taken the Elite Four years to accomplish in a matter of weeks. It took him a minuscule amount of time to raise the most dangerous team of Pokemon known to man.

Of course, he wasn't the only one. Blue had done the same thing, only faster. Too bad he did it wrong. Blue saw his Pokemon as a path to power, a means to his own selfish and narrow-minded end. No, that wasn't how it was done. Red had loved his team like family, like comrades, for that was what they were. This was what brought Blue's downfall.

But that wasn't all that plagued his mind. No, it started far before that final battle in the halls of the Indigo Plateau.

It all started with Brock.

Yes, that excuse of a Gym Leader. Red knew that when he had beaten Brock with his _Charmander_ that he had something special. It wasn't just that Charmander learned Iron Tail after Brock's Geodude mercilessly slung him by his back legs. It wasn't due to the fact that they had trained on various unlucky Weedle and Caterpie throughout their trek of Viridian Forest. It wasn't even that the rock-headed Gym Leader was so overly confident in his abilities that he decided to fight with only two Pokemon.

The answer was plain and simple. Red was uncommonly, _unnervingly_ strong.

He had heard various others commend him on his talent. Lt. Surge claimed he would have made an excellent general "back in the war". Sabrina foretold that he would be a master of unbelievable talent, a Trainer that would gain power possessed by only a select few. Hell, even Misty made a pass at him. Twice.

He could feel it in his bones, too, this power that couldn't only belong to him. He knew that somewhere out there, there were others. Like _him_. They too had seemingly limitless potential when it came to battling. He had seen on the news that a young boy had just defeated Lance. Typical. All it would take to beat him was one strong Gyarados that knew how to use Ice type moves, and the Champion would crumble down. How had Red known it? Because he had already done it.

In fact, Red felt disappointed. Was this how the world's strongest would measure up to him? If Blue couldn't take out half of his team, could anyone else pose a challenge?

In his quest for a challenge, Red was even driven to find the Legendaries. Those beasts of such awesome power that nature itself would bend to their will. Just thinking about the new adventure had put a golden fire back in his young heart. It was this fire, this _heart of gold_ that brought the Beast known as Kyogre from its slumber. Kyogre could sense the boy's desires. He didn't want a capture. No: legendaries were something to stay out of human hands, as far as Red was concerned. No, this boy wanted an equal.

Red had called forth his Blastoise. Two titans of the sea would make for a breathtaking battle, he figured. But when his Blastoise used a simple Skull Bash, followed by a point blank Hydro Cannon, he knew that Kyogre couldn't take much more. He hung his head in disappointment, and left the creature teetering on the edge of unconsciouness.

He tried others. He went to Johto, tracked down the Dogs, only for them to fall without much of a fight. He traveled to Hoenn, summoned Regigas and his follwers, only for all of them to be defeated with a scattered Focus Blast. And the so called masters of dreams and nightmares? He beat them too.

The boy was just _too strong._

No matter how many foes he faced, Red would always triumph. He made all those beasts of the world submit to him and his team, only to leave them with the knowledge that there was someone stronger than them.

That's where the others came in. That boy that defeated Lance, Gold, was it? He was the new Champion of Johto and Kanto, or so he thought. Red supposed that by now, Oak would have directed the boy to Mount Silver, the place where the wildest, strongest Pokemon roam. Where you won't find more powerful beasts anywhere else. Where everyone stays away from the top floor...

It was only a matter of time before Gold got here, and Red could hardly wait. He shivered, not at the blizzard raging at the top of Mount Silver, but at the prospect of being beaten. The idea of someone giving him a challenge thrilled him like nothing else could. It was just like the beginning of his journey to face the Legendary Pokemon of the world. But this time, _this _time he knew that his hopes wouldn't fall to dust. After all, the boy was the second person to ever beat two former champions.

This boy held Red's hopes with him. If Red gave his all, and still lost the battle, it meant that there was still _more_. It meant that there were even higher plateaus to reach, possibly people even stronger than he. If Red lost this fight, it meant his goal of being the greatest Pokemon trainer in the world still wasn't met, that his journey wasn't over.

Maybe if this boy could knock Red off his peak, he could climb up again. Maybe he wouldn't stop at age 13. Maybe-

"I'm here to challenge you." said the young boy with a yellow hat and a soul of silver. His faithful Pachirisu growled cutely from her place on his shoulder.

Red couldn't help but let a small grin show, as his Pikachu twitched its tail in preparation. The rush was back.


End file.
